Business

Kobe Bryant + Lionel Messi = Huge Viral Success

The battle for global supremacy plays out in 60 seconds in this Turkish Airlines ad that pits Argentinian soccer great Lionel Messi against U.S. basketball superstar Kobe Bryant.

The two battle for the attention of a young boy who can't decide which star to be impressed by more. After the two run out of tricks with their respective soccer — and basketballs — they turn to cards and balloon animals. In the end, the boy is distracted by ice cream offered by the airline. (This is a commercial, after all.)

Turkish Airlines is, in fact, the real winner here. The presence of the two stars has catapulted the video to an impressive 21 million views since it hit YouTube on Dec. 6.

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